Socket for vacuum tube



1958 B. J. JOHANSON EI'AL 2,858,519

- SOCKET FOR VACUUM TUBE Filed Aug. 1'7, 1954 .2 Sheets-Sheet l 21322172222145 BENGT J. JOHANSON W/LF0/2D C. MAc FADDEN QHCHMCLAL l A T 1958 B. J. JOHANSON EI'AL 2,858,519

SOCKET FOR VACUUM TUBE Filed Aug. 17, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L jjzs rzzmrs BENGT J. JOHANSON WILFOPD C. MAC FADDEN SOCKET FOR VACUUM TUBE Bengt J. Johanson, Des Plaines, 111., and Wilford C.

MacFadden, Fox Chase, Pa., assignors to Cinch Manufactoring Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of I Illinois Application August 17, 1954, Serial No. 450,448

1 Claim. (Cl. 339-194) This invention relates to an improved vacuum tube socket adapted for electrical connection with printed circuitry.

One object of my invention is the provision of a socket constructed in a novel manner enabling it to be attached quickly and efficiently to a supporting panel carrying printed circuitry.

Another object of my invention relates to the construction of the socket wherein it provides a body of insulating material spaced from the surface of the panel opposite which the body is disposed.

Other objects and uses of my invention will be apparent from inspection of the drawings and specification hereinbelow set forth.

Referring to the drawings in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my preferred assembly including a supporting panel carrying printed circuits and a socket device carried by the panel having contact termi nals in permanent electrical connection with the circuits,

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the assembly shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the assemblies shown in Figs. 1 and 2,

Fig. 4 is a view of the assembly similar to Fig. 2 prior to soldering the socket terminals into electrical connection with the printed circuits,

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of my improved socket device per se,

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the socket shown in Fig. 5,

Fig. 7 is a section taken along the line 7-7 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the contact member carried by the socket device,

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the contact member,

Fig. 10 is a front elevation of a contact member, and

Fig. 11 is a rear elevation of the contact member.

Referring to the drawings, I have illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 my improved socket assembly which includes a supporting panel 1 of insulating material having an upper surface 2 and a lower surface 3. The panel 1 has a circular series of openings 4 (Fig. 4) and an opening 5 disposed substantially in the center of the series of openings 4. Y The panel 1 may carry printed circuits on both upper and lower surfaces, but in my preferred form printed circuits 6 are disposed on the lower surface 3 only of the panel 1. Each of the printed circuits 6 has an end portion 7 disposed adjacent an opening 4. In my preferred embodiment, a grounding circuit 8 is also provided having its end 9 adjacent the opening 5 of the panel. A socket unit 10 is carried by the panel 1 having contact members 11 providing terminals or tail elements which extend through the openings 4 of the panel 1 and in final assembly of the parts of the assembly are soldered into electrical connection with the printed circuits 6 as illustrated in Fig. 2.

Referring in detail to the construction of the socket unit 16, the socket includes a lower insulating plate 13 and an upper insulating plate 14. The plate 13 has a central opening 15 and a plurality of contact-receiving openings 16 (Fig. 5) which are preferably of rectangular shape and arranged substantially in a circle. The plate 13 also is provided with terminal-receiving openings 17 spaced radially beyond each of the openings 16. The

upper plate 14 has a central opening 18 (Fig. 1) in alignment with the opening 15 of the plate 13 and a circular series of openings 19 (Fig. l) conforming to the spacing and arrangement of the opening 16 of the plate 13.

The plates 13 and 14 are secured in assembly by a center shield or a rivetlike member 20 which extends through the aligned openings 15 and 18 of the insulated plates. One preferred construction of the contact members 11 is illustrated in Figs. 8-11 of the drawing. The contact member which is made of spring metal comprises a substantially fiat base element 21 having an opening 22. Wing elements 23 in opposed relation one to another extend downwardly from opposed side edges 24 of the base element and form a generally rectangular body (viewing the broad surface of a wing 23) adapted to be snugly received within the openings 16 of the plate 13. The Wing elements 23 are formed of stiff yet flexible material and have converging portions 25 adjacent their outer edges 26. The space between the edges 26 of each pair of wing elements is normally less than the diameter 'of the prong terminals (not shown) to be engaged by the outer edges 26 and flexing of the portions 25 is stiffened and limited by opposed walls of the openings 16 of the plate 13 in the manner disclosed in United States Patent No. 2,519,121, issued August 15, 1950. Each of the con- "tact members 11 has a flexibly resilient terminal element or tail 27 integrally joined to the base element 21 adjacent an' end 28 thereof and extending away from the base 21 at an angle greater than a right angle with the result that the general plane of the terminal 27 diverges from the vertical axis of the opening 22. Each of the terminals 27 is of generally channel shape and comprises a back portion 29 and and spaced sidewalls 30. The sidewalls 30 extends outwardly from the back portion 29 in spaced substantially parallel relation and terminate at outermost free edges 31. Each of the sidewalls 30 has a cutaway portion 32 intermediate the length of the terminal portion 27 so as to form opposed shoulders 3334 in each of the sidewalls 30 as most clearly shown in Fig. 9. Each of the sidewalls 30 has a tapering outer edge 35 (Fig. 9) adjacent the outermost end 36 of the terminal for guiding the terminal portion through the respective opening 4 of the supporting panel as will be described.

In assembly of the contact members 11 with the insulating plates 13 and 14, the base element 21 of the contact members are disposed between the plates and supported by the inner surface of the plate 13. Opposed wing elements 23 of each contact member are seated within an opening 16 of the plate 13 and the terminal elements 27 extend through the openings 17 of the plate 13. As as result of the fact that each of the terminals 27 is joined to its respective base element 21 at an angle greater than a right angle, the terminals 27, in final assembly of the parts of the socket, will diverge slightly in their annular arrangement from the vertical axis of the socket as represented by the center shield 20. It will be understood that the distance between the opposed outer edges 31 of oppositely disposed contact members 11 is normally greater than the greatest dimension between the walls of opposed openings 4 of the panel 1 with the result that the terminals 27 must be contracted for passage through their respective openings 4.

In assembling the socket unit 10 to the supporting panel 1, the end portions 36 of the terminals 27 are moved into their respective apertures 4 to engage the 3 tapered edges 35 of the sidewalls 30 with the walls 37 of the panel 1 adjacent the openings 4. As pressure upon the socket unit 11 in the direction of the panel 1 is continued, the terminal portions 27 will be contracted by the camlike engagement of the tapered edges 35 with the panel 1 thereby forcing the tapered edges through the openings 4. After passage through the opening 4, the terminals 27 will expand to receive the walls 37 (Fig. 7) within the cutaway portion 32 of each of the sidewalls 30. Thus, the terminals 27 are secured in resilient fastened assembly with the panel 1. Unintentional withdrawal of the terminals from the openings 4 is prevented by the shoulders 34 of the terminals which are disposed opposite the lower surface'3 of the panel 1 as most clearly shown in Fig. 7. At the same time, the upper shoulder 33 of each of the sidewalls 30 is disposed in opposed relation to the upper surface 2 of the panel 1. The shoulders 33 and 34 by their adjacency to the surfaces of the panel also serve to relieve the strains on the soldered connections during insertion and withdrawal of a vacuum tube.

Permanent assembly of the socket unit with the panel 1 is accomplished by dipping the assembly into a solder bath thereby soldering the terminals 27 and center shield 20 to the appropriate ends 7 and 9 of the respective circuits 6 and 8. As a result of this action the metal conducting elements of the socket unit are secured in fixed electrical connection with the printed circuits carried by the supporting panel and the socket unit is permanently attached to the supportingpanel.

In final assembly of the parts, the insulating plates 13 and 14 of the socket unit 10 are spaced from the upper surface 2 of the panel 1 with the result that when standard length prong terminals of a cooperating vacuum tube (not shown) are electrically engaged with the wing elements 23 of the contact members, they will terminate short of the upper surface 2 of the panel 1. As a result of the fact that the tube terminals do not extend through the panel 1, the panel provides a substantial area of imperforate material to which a desired printed circuit pattern may be applied.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby as the scope of my invention is best defined by the following claim.

I claim:

An electrical socket comprising upper and lower insulating plates, said plates having a registering series of contact apertures, contact members carried by said plates, each of said contact members having a prong-receiving portion extending into an aperture of said lower plate and a base portion over-lying said lower plate adjacent said respective aperture for supporting said contact, each of said contact members having a terminal portion integrally joined to said base portion, said terminal portions extending beyond the lower surface of said insulating plate, each of said terminal portions having a back portion and opposed spaced sidewalls extending from said back portion in spaced substantially parallel relation, and terminating in narrow free edges, each of said sidewalls having a notch in the narrow edge thereof so as to form opposed shoulders in said respective sidewall, said shoulders being adapted to receive between them opposed surfaces of a supporting panel whereby said socket is secured to said panel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,239,451 Stearns Apr. 22, 1941 2,318,651 Penfold May 11, 1943 2,519,121 Del Camp Aug. 15, 1950 2,533,483 Losquadro Dec. 12, 1950 2,551,970 Sampson May 8, 1951 I 2,613,244 Del Camp Oct. 7, 1952 

